Box Score

GULF SHORES, AL:  The Texas Wesleyan University softball team’s run to the 32nd NAIA National Championship ended without a tournament victory after the University of Mobile (31-19) took a 9-2 victory on Saturday; however, that did not damper a tremendous season that saw the Lady Rams make their first national tournament appearance since 1984.
 
On Saturday, Mobile, the tournament’s host team, scored first with a two run single off the bat of Milagros Lozado in the top of the third inning.
 
Texas Wesleyan put two runners on in the second and third innings, but could not push a run across the plate.  Mobile extended its lead to 5-0 with a two-run double from Emily Vickery followed by an RBI double from Brittany Dunson in the fourth.
 
An RBI single from Christina Kelley scored Courtney Orebaugh with Texas Wesleyan’s first run in the bottom of the fourth.  With runners at the corners and one out in the fifth, Mobile came up with a big defensive play.  Orebaugh grounded to third, and Marissa Rangel attempted to score on a delay.  Mobile first baseman Jessica Palmer fired home to complete a 5-3-2 inning-ending double play.
 
With runners at the corners in the top of the sixth, Palmer stole home to bring the score to 6-1.  The Lady Rams got that run back in the bottom of the inning with a two-out double from Hopie Perez followed by a single from Raven Moreno.
 
Mobile put the game away in the top of the seventh, scoring three runs on two hits and a hit battsman.
 
Kamaron Strickland (15-6) earned the win after allowing one run on three hits in four innings pitched.  Taylor Hodge (4-5) allowed five runs, four earned, on seven hits in 3.1 innings in the loss.
 
Lindsay Cline went 2-for-4 at the plate as the Lady Rams collected seven hits on the day.
 
The Loss ended Texas Wesleyan’s season at 25-20 overall.  At 20-4 in Red River Athletic Conference play, they were the conference’s regular season champion.  The team went on to win its first RRAC Tournament Championship and gain its second NAIA National Championship qualification.  Five Lady Rams were named All-RRAC while Shannon Gower was named RRAC Coach of the Year, Alexis Beltran was named Newcomer of the Year, and Raven Moreno was named Defensive Player of the Year.